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Avant vs Upstart

To help you find the Best Personal Loans, TopConsumerReviews.com provides you with an in-depth comparison of Avant and Upstart.

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Are you in need of some cash? Historically, borrowers have had limited options for a personal loan. You could ask a family member, a friend, or find a personal finance company that offered fixed-rate loans, typically at exobrtantly high interest rates.

Today, however, finding a personal loan brings several more options to the table. While you can still ask a family member, or get a high-rate loan from a finance company, you can also consider using a social lending network. These networks, also called peer-to-peer loans, generally have much lower overhead and as a result can offer much lower interest rates. They're facilitated by professional companies
familiar with this type of lending,
to simplify things for all parties.

Personal Loan Reviews

Avant is one of the newest providers in the personal loans market, opening its doors in Chicago in 2012 and receiving its first accreditation with the Better Business Bureau in March 2015. It currently holds a solid A+ rating with the BBB.

Avant provides access to one of the larger ranges of consumer loans available, from $2,000 to $35,000. Loans through the Avant platform include terms from 2 to 5 years. As an example, a $5,700 loan with an administration fee of 4.75% and an amount financed of $5,429.25, repayable in 36 monthly installments, would have an APR of 29.95% and monthly payments of $230.33.

Although Avant is relatively new to the online lending business, the Avant platform has already issued more than $1 Billion in loans to over 450,000 customers. With nearly 500 employees working to provide affordable loans to consumers in need, they bring a professionalism and dedication that
is welcome to this industry.

There are no extra charges for prepayment of your loan, although late fees may apply if a payment is missed. Customer service is available 7 days a week.

Another feature that we liked with Avant is how quickly they provide access to funds. The Avant platform can often send your money via direct deposit as soon as the next business day‡.

Avant's loan application and approval process is very easy:

You provide basic information about yourself, such as your full name and address, income details, and social security number

After you receive your electronic loan offer, you digitally sign the contract they send

If approved, you could receive your money as soon as the very next business day‡

We're encouraged to see this lending platform enter the marketplace. They've earned a high BBB rating in a very short period of time, and don't charge exorbitant or hidden fees. Combined with the ultra-fast loan application process, Avant easily earns very high marks.

Upstart is a peer-to-peer lending company founded by former Googlers. At first glance, the site is neat and includes finance-related images such as pie charts and percentage signs to emphasize their purpose, which is to help people achieve their financial goals. The fonts are large, allowing easy reading, very helpful since financial information can be overwhelming. The site allows one to process information while
pacing the reader through use of space and letter size.

Professional in look, the site however does not hope to impress in graphics or photos of people enjoying newfound financial freedom. Instead, the site uses facts and figures to communicate a serious, all-business tone. The only downside to this setup is that if a customer is not familiar with loans or borrowing lingo, they might be lost until they scroll to the bottom of the Home page to click on "Contact Us".

For customers who aren't sure where to begin, Upstart has a "Get Started" icon which asks them what they want to do. Upstart offers help with loan consolidation, paying off credit cards, paying medical bills, buying a car or other big purchases. Such a wide range of services is comforting to those seeking financial advice. The site also provides education to help you prepare for future financial decisions.

With respect to personal loans, Upstart is efficient. You can apply online and find out your rate within a few minutes. You're asked simple questions about your income and education history. Upstart then presents you with loan terms and options for payment. Once a customer agrees to the terms of the loan, funds are issued - sometimes, by the next business day. According to the site, "[the] average 3-year loan
on
Upstart will have an APR of 17% and 36 monthly payment of $31 per $1000 borrowed."

Upstart's reputation is very solid - you'll quickly see links to articles on prominent sites like Fox, Bloomberg, and other news agencies, along with testimonials from satisfied clients. Such details helped us gain more confidence in the success of this company's services.

We found the blog articles very helpful. With topics ranging from selecting health insurance to saving money on groceries, a person seeking financial security could benefit from the wisdom these articles offer. Unfortunately, this tool is found at the bottom of the Home page. The website would function more effectively if they included this option at the top of the page along with "Contact" and "Team"
information because it is on these pages where we found answers to our initial questions.

The website is adequate, but could definitely use changes to make it more user friendly. Overall, the site does not score high for looks but makes up for it with good intentions and success stories.

No matter where you borrow money from, before you get your next personal loan you should consider the following:

BBB rating. Does the lending company have a solid history of doing good business with its customers?

Loan size and rate. How much will the lending company offer? What interest rate do they charge their customers?

Loan application process. When applying for your personal loan, can it be completed online? Is the lending process easy and straightforward?

TopConsumerReviews.com has reviewed and ranked the best online personal loan providers available today. We hope this information helps you find the best loan at an affordable rate that meets your needs!

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